Right-hander Pedro Martinez has virtually ruled out a return to the major leagues and says he is on his way to retirement, according to the Associated Press. In an interview that was broadcast today in the Dominican Republic, Martinez said that he has stayed in shape, but not with his eye on a return.
"I keep active because I have not announced my retirement, because that is something that takes time and you have to plan it. Plus, it is something that the Dominican people expected," the three-time Cy Young award-winner said.
Just three weeks ago, Martinez seemed to hint that he was looking to return to baseball and preferably for the Boston Red Sox. However, the Dominican hurler now says that his comments were misinterpreted. Martinez also dropped the Yankees in conversation, but the Bombers probably wouldn't have been interested in him anyway.
SURE Bet for HOF….
yes sir
In his prime he was almost un-hittable. His 1999 and 2000 years in Boston were ridiculously dominant.
1999 All-star game. CLASSIC.
when you consider the era in which he played, the argument can be made that those two years constitute the best pitching performance in baseball history
Especially when you consider which era+/150 he played in, right? =P
Yeah…but he was probably on steroids too so…amazing how pitchers get a free pass. Well, all pitchers besides Roger Clemens.
So True!
If Pedro goes to the HoF, then so should Barry Bonds! Even the the Great Hank Aaron was accused of taking the Juice, but because his such a fine Guy hes not bashed on!
You Guys asking me to give Pedro his props? Granted, but only if you give Barry his props. He was undeniably one of Basballs greatest Hitters Alltime!
I really can’t believe that he (Martinez) didn’t take Roids too, considering that Manny and David was on the Sox Team too!
He’ll be playing for the yanks this yr
isn’t that joke a little old already?
Pedro should have talked to Manny about taking time to plan his retirement.
First-ballot, unanimous selection to the HoF.
Good, I want it to be in the books that the Yankees gave him a proper send-off in ’09.
That said, its absolutely incredible to go back and look at his numbers. He did what he did during the height of the steroid era, and much of it in the AL East. A true HOFer, even if I hate him lol.
i am very happy to have witnessed it, but very sad that i wasn’t able to appreciate just how good pedro was in his prime. i don’t expect to ever see it again
“I know I achieved a lot, and I know I have my little share of respect, but when you talk about playoffs, there is no time to be mad, there is no time to complain, there is no soreness that you can’t overcome or pain, sometimes, and I hope I continue to do it. I am going to leave my heart out there for my team.” -Pedro Martinez
Sort of the anti-Manny.
Lifetime WHIP of 1.05 is mind boggling.
.978 in Boston. Talk about PRIME. 7 years in Boston.
W L W-L% ERA G GS GF CG SHO SV IP H R ER HR BB IBB SO HBP BK WP BF ERA+ WHIP H/9 HR/9 BB/9 SO/9 SO/BB
117 37 .760 2.52 203 201 1 22 8 0 1383.2 1044 428 387 103 309 5 1683 77 0 30 5498 191 0.978 6.8 0.7 2.0 10.9 5.45
its funny because he was so good for so long that you grow used to his dominance
but to look back on his numbers makes you appreciate all the times you got to watch him in action. Those numbers are just absolutely ridiculous
great point. i distinctly remember how disappointed people in boston (and nationwide) were with pedro in 2003 and 2004, when he was considered to be losing it
he posted nearly 8 WAR in 2003 and nearly 6 WAR in 2004. and people were saying what’s wrong with pedro? he’s losing it
and they were right! because he was so amazing before then that a mere ace seemed like a let down. craziness
I’m a Yankees fan but Pedro was great. Amazing actually. His change-up was one of the best pitches I’ve seen. Then a mid-90’s heater he can throw to both corners with a nasty deuce. Almost unfair. First Ballot HOFer no doubt.
Thank you Pedro for the great memories of dominance in Boston! Best pitcher of the modern ERA…no doubt! First-ballot HOF for sure!
you were pretty good too for awhile
Thanks…I was my hero too.
All kidding aside, Pedro and Nomar…I will never forget. It will be a long time until Boston has another next-level dominant pairs like Pedro and Nomar. By dominant, I don’t mean Lester dominant or even Halladay dominant, I mean Pedro dominant.
What about me? I was pretty good. And I was actually on the team at the end of 2004!
Pedro will go down as the most dominant pitcher of our era.
In the mid 90s to early 2000s, Pedro was an absolute freak of nature.
At his peak, he mixed in a mid-to-upper 90s moving fastball, that cut and ran, with a circle change that had a speed differential of up to 15 mph. I’ve never seen batters swing and miss so early on pitches than against him in his prime. Johan, as good as he eventually became in Minnesota, was basically a mini-Pedro because of his similar repetoire. The freak part of it, is Lincaecum-like, because all of this was coming out of such a relatively small framed long-fingered pitcher with lots of torque applied to the ball, which made him a living optical illusion when he threw with such ferocious velocity and then such slow offspeed stuff. I didn’t even mention his breaking ball, but he was just a ridiculous pitcher.
I think he’s first ballot, but if he isn’t, it may be because of the longevity question. Being such a small bodied pitcher, he eventually succumbed to health issues which reduced his playing time, but that’s not to say that there haven’t been similarly shorter career Hall of Fame pitchers that got in just based on sheer degree of dominance. Koufax comes to mind there.
I’m a yankee fan and I was at the game when he struck out 17 yankees, only giving up the one hit, a homer to Chili Davis. They didn’t even hit a ball out of the infield after that, and they were a dynasty at the time. Pedro was fun to watch, dominant player, and I would do anything to enjoy him in the game for another ten years. First ballot HOF, no doubt.
Guess it’s time for a new avatar… Goodbye Pedro.
hope this helps
His .7373 WHIP in 2000 is the lowest single-season WHIP EVER!
Probably the least-well-known CY winner.
How is a multiple Cy Young award winner and one of five pitchers to win the award in each league “probably the least-well-known CY winner”??? I could see making that statement about a pitcher who had one or two outstanding seasons like Bartolo Colon or Barry Zito but not a pitcher who had multiple great seasons like Pedro. Pedro arguably had two of the all-time greatest seasons by a pitcher.